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Blue Jays’ series against Guardians has similar feel to Canada Day’s series against Yankees in 2025
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Photo credit: © Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images
Ryley Delaney
Sep 1, 2026, 11:00 EDTUpdated: Sep 1, 2026, 11:15 EDT
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Every series from here on out is important, but the Toronto Blue Jays’ next series against the Cleveland Guardians is the biggest series of the season.
Trailing the Guardians by a game and a half for the final wild card spot, the Blue Jays’ playoff hopes are riding on this series. It’s a series that is similar to a series in 2025 against the New York Yankees.
After a ninth inning Bo Bichette home run on May 28th, 2025, the Blue Jays trailed the Yankees by eight games. A 13-3 stretch moved them to four-games behind the Yankees in mid-June, and the Blue Jays remained in striking distance the rest of the month.
The final game in June was the first of four against the Yankees. Down just three games for the division lead, the Blue Jays had a statement series victory, winning all four games to take top spot in the American League East.
They never relinquished it either, though they did come close to blowing it as both the Blue Jays and Yankees finished with a 94-86. The Blue Jays had to win their final four games to keep pace with the Yankees and in the end, that four game series proved to be vital as they took the season series for the crucial tiebreaker. You know what happened next.
This series against the Guardians is similar, but the need to win is amped up by 1,000. The 2025 Blue Jays still had about half a season remaining to surpass the Yankees. Even if they failed to win the division, they still had the wild card series to fall back on. This time around, the Blue Jays have a month to spare with a whole bunch of teams fighting for the one wild card spot.
It’s safe to say that this series against the Guardians is a make or break, with anything less than a series victory being a major setback. Taking two of three gives the Blue Jays the important tiebreaker while moving them to within a half game of the final wild card spot. A sweep also gives them the tiebreaker, but also will see the Jays jump ahead of the Guardians and potentially in a playoff spot depending on what happens with the Orioles.
On the other hand, a Guardians sweep would see the Blue Jays outright lose the series and fall to four and a half games behind the Guardians, basically a death sentence for their playoff hopes. Losing two of three would not only see the Guardians gain a two and a half game cushion, but also potentially win the series.
Both teams would be tied at three games in the season series, meaning it’d come down to the second tiebreaker: Intra-divisional record. That’s bad news for the Blue Jays, as they are 23-23 against American League East teams with six games to play (all against the Orioles). The Guardians have a 20-19 record against the American League Central with 13 games remaining.
With the Blue Jays on the outside looking in like several other playoff hopefuls, the Blue Jays need a strong September, and it needs to start against the Guardians.
Ryley Delaney is a Nation Network writer for Blue Jays Nation, DFOEdmonton, and DFOCalgary. She can be followed on Twitter @Ryley__Delaney.
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